You’re walking up those endless, spiral stairs in the Ivory Tower. The atmosphere is thick. The yellow robes are everywhere. Then, suddenly, the fog gate shimmers, and the game tells you that a "Black Phantom" has been summoned. This isn't just some scripted NPC with a bloated health bar. It's a person. Probably someone sitting in their living room halfway across the world, grinning because they just got picked to be the Old Monk Demon’s Souls boss.
Honestly, it’s one of the coolest things FromSoftware ever did.
Back in 2009, this blew people's minds. It still does in the PS5 remake. While most games give you a big monster to slay, the Old Monk turns the player into the monster. It’s an asymmetric PvP encounter that feels personal. You aren't just fighting a mechanic; you’re fighting human ego, lag, and whatever weird build the other guy decided to bring to the party.
Why the Old Monk Demon’s Souls Encounter Breaks All the Rules
Most boss fights are about pattern recognition. You learn when the Flamelurker is going to jump. You know exactly when the Penetrator is going to lunge. But you have no idea what a human player is going to do.
The lore is actually kinda tragic if you dig into it. The "Old Monk" isn't even the guy you're fighting. He's this withered, pathetic husk of a man who lost control of his own soul. The actual power comes from that Golden Garb—the yellow headwrap. It's a parasite. It discards the old man and searches for a new, stronger host. That host is you, or rather, the player summoned to kill the protagonist.
If you’re playing online, the game searches for a player who is currently trying to invade or leave a soul sign in the Tower of Latria. If it finds one, it yanks them into the boss room. They get a massive health boost and a cool yellow hat. You get a fight for your life.
It’s messy. Sometimes you get a "pro" who parries every single move you make. Other times, you get someone who has no idea what’s happening and just starts panic-rolling into the furniture. That's the beauty of it. It’s unpredictable in a way that AI just can’t replicate.
What happens if you play offline?
Sometimes the servers are down, or maybe you just don't want to deal with the stress of a real person. If you're offline, the game spawns a generic NPC. He wears the yellow headwrap and uses the Claw weapons. He’s aggressive, sure, but he’s predictable. He follows a script.
Fighting the NPC version is basically a gear check. Fighting the player version is a psychological war.
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The Infamous Yellow Headwrap and Why Everyone Wants It
If you are the one summoned as the boss and you successfully kill the player coming through the fog gate, you get the Yellow Headwrap.
It’s ridiculous. It’s this massive, spiraling turban that looks like a giant piece of macaroni. It completely obscures your vision in some camera angles. But it’s also one of the best items in the game for magic users. It boosts your magic attack power significantly.
Because of this reward, the Old Monk boss room becomes a hub for high-level PvP. You’ll find players who have spent hundreds of hours perfecting their builds just so they can sit in that room and gatekeep others. It sounds mean, but it creates this incredible community dynamic. You have to earn your way past the "boss."
How to Win When You’re the One Entering the Fog
If you’re the one trying to beat the Old Monk Demon’s Souls encounter, you need to change your mindset. This isn't a boss fight. It's a duel.
- Watch the Homing Soul Arrow: The Golden Garb automatically fires soul arrows at you. These are timed, but they’re annoying. They force you to keep moving. If you’re fighting a human, they will use these openings to backstab you.
- Don't be greedy: In a normal boss fight, you can sometimes tank a hit to land a big one. Against a player? They will parry you. They will use a Scraping Spear to break your equipment. They will use Acid Cloud to ruin your day.
- The environment is your friend: The room is filled with chairs and tables. Use them. Create distance. If the "boss" is using a heavy weapon, make them swing and hit the furniture while you recover stamina.
Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of the series, has often talked about how he wanted to create a sense of "connection" between players that wasn't just cooperative. The Old Monk is the purest expression of that. It’s a moment where two strangers are forced into a high-stakes narrative role.
The "Scraping Spear" Trauma
We have to talk about the trolls. In the original PS3 version especially, people loved being the Old Monk just so they could use the Scraping Spear. This weapon reduces the durability of the opponent's armor and weapons with every hit.
Imagine spending twenty minutes getting through the 3-2 swamp, finally reaching the boss, and then some guy in a yellow hat breaks all your gear. You're left standing there in broken rags, dealing 2 damage per hit. It's brutal. It's arguably "toxic," but it’s part of what makes the Demon’s Souls experience so visceral. You genuinely fear the person behind the fog gate.
Technical Quirks and the PS5 Remake
Bluepoint Games did a phenomenal job with the remake. The Old Monk fight looks incredible now. The way the yellow cloth glows and ripples is haunting. They kept the core mechanics exactly the same, which was the right call.
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However, they did fix some of the lag issues. Back in the day, a lot of Old Monk fights were decided by "teleport backstabs" where the connection was so bad you’d see the boss across the room one second and be dead the next. It’s much smoother now, which actually makes the fight harder because you can't rely on glitchy animations to save you.
One thing that hasn't changed? The soul level matchmaking. The game tries to match you with someone near your level. If you’re level 60, you won't (usually) face a level 120 god-tier player. Usually.
Why This Mechanic Hasn't Been Repeated Often
You’d think FromSoftware would put a "player boss" in every game. They did it again with the Looking Glass Knight in Dark Souls 2, and the Halflight, Spear of the Church in Dark Souls 3. But it’s rare.
It’s hard to balance. If the player being summoned is too good, the "host" might get frustrated and quit. If the connection is bad, the boss fight feels broken. It requires a very specific type of level design and "world tendency" logic to work correctly.
In Elden Ring, we saw a slight nod to this with the Great-Jar's Champions, but those were NPCs based on player data, not live players. There’s just something special about the Old Monk Demon’s Souls version that feels more raw. Maybe it’s the claustrophobic nature of the Ivory Tower. Maybe it’s just the sheer audacity of forcing a player to be the villain in someone else’s story.
Strategies for Getting Summoned as the Monk
If you want to be the boss, it’s pretty simple but requires patience.
- Go to the Tower of Latria (World 3).
- Use a Blue Eye Stone or a Black Eye Stone anywhere in the world.
- Wait.
- Even if you try to help someone as a blue phantom, the Old Monk might "kidnap" you and force you to be the boss instead.
It’s a bit of a lottery. Sometimes you’ll wait ten minutes. Other times, you’ll be summoned instantly. If you want the headwrap, make sure you're geared for PvP. Bring things that punish rolls. Bring spells that track.
Actually, don't bring the Scraping Spear. Have some mercy. Or don't. That’s the point of the game, honestly.
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Dealing with the Moral Dilemma
Is it "wrong" to try-hard as the Old Monk? Some people think so. They think you should let the host win so they can progress.
Nonsense.
The game world is supposed to be oppressive. If you’re the Old Monk, you are the final barrier of the Ivory Tower. You are the embodiment of the Golden Garb’s malice. If you play soft, you’re ruining the atmosphere. The most "authentic" way to play the Monk is to be as clever and dangerous as possible. When that player finally beats you, they’ll feel a sense of accomplishment they would never get from a standard AI fight.
Actionable Tips for Mastering the Ivory Tower
To wrap this up, if you’re heading into the Old Monk’s chamber tonight, here is what you need to do.
First, check your equipment durability before you cross the fog. There is nothing worse than starting a PvP fight with a weapon that’s about to break. Second, if you see the "boss" performing a "running attack" toward you as soon as you enter, they are trying to catch you before the camera resets. Be ready to roll immediately.
Third, if you’re struggling with the player version, try playing in offline mode. It’s not "cheating"; it’s a feature of the game. You’ll fight the NPC version, get the Soul, and be able to move on with your life. But honestly? Try it online at least five times. The stories you get from those weird, laggy, intense player encounters are worth more than the progress itself.
Lastly, if you do win and get that Yellow Headwrap, wear it with pride—even if it makes you look like a giant lemon. You earned it by being someone else’s nightmare.
To maximize your success in the Tower of Latria, focus on increasing your Magic Defense. Most players who haunt the Old Monk’s room use magic-heavy builds or the "Kris Blade" to maximize their damage. Equipping the Dark Silver Shield or using the "Anti-Magic Field" miracle can completely shut down a player who relies too much on spells. Turn their biggest advantage into their downfall.